Banquet recognizes disabled residents' strengths

Saturday

Oct 19, 2013 at 12:01 AM

The message was simple at Friday night’s disability awards banquet.

THOMAS BRENNAN Daily News Staff

The message was simple at Friday night’s disability awards banquet.

“You have to live with what you have, do the best with what you’re given and live your life to the fullest,” said retired Sgt. Maj. Ray Mackey, a double amputee and veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom who was guest speaker at the 2013 Onslow County Commission for Persons With Disabilities awards banquet. “You give us a way — a fair shot — and we’ll give it a chance.”

The ballroom roared with applause as Mackey finished his speech in which he discussed personal struggles and Jacksonville’s need for better handicap access at parking lots and businesses. Education and demonstration, he said, are the keys to making change.

“My message to disabled people is that you aren’t handicapped, you’re handi-capable,” Mackey said. “We just need the capabilities for us to be able to do things on our own.”

Mackey described struggles as an amputee with limited access to many businesses and public places, including bathrooms. He said people don’t understand the obstacles that the handicapped face. Mackey’s alternates between his wheelchair and prosthesis for mobility.